South Korea Pro Bono Directory

Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by South Korea.

As UNHCR statistics generally rely on data from host countries, statistics on refugees alone can give an insufficient account of refugee numbers, as some host countries will not grant refugee status to certain groups. Including statistics for individuals in refugee-like situations is an attempt to account for unrecognised refugees and does not include internally displaced persons. Statistics for stateless refugees are included if available.

Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL)

APIL (Advocates for Public Interest Law) is a non-profit public interest law firm working with and for underrepresented groups including refugees, immigration detainees and victims of human trafficking in Republic of Korea. It provides legal aid and pro-bono referral services to refugees and asylum-seekers in the Republic of Korea. With an effort to make sure asylum seekers are properly represented by lawyers, it provides resources, assistance and training to refugee lawyers to increase efficiency and expertise in providing legal services for refugees. It works collaboratively with other refugee related organisations to improve human rights and polices for refugees.

Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR)

NKHR is a Seoul-based NGO that advocates for the human rights of the people of North Korea. NKHR campaigns domestically and internationally for improved human rights and provides assistance to North Korean refugees and those who have re-settled in South Korea. NKHR's work for North Korean refugees includes advocating for better treatment of North Korean refugees in third countries, particularly China, where nearly all North Koreans refugees must pass through. NKHR also provides direct assistance to North Korean refugees who are in hiding in China.

Dongcheon Foundation

Offers free legal consultations, defense and legal aid activities and direct support for disadvantaged social groups including refugees. Dongcheon Foundation is a member of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network.

GongGam supports those seeking asylum in their quest for recognition as Convention refugees. In 2007, they successfully obtained recognition of refugee status of a Chinese asylum seeker for the first time when the Seoul Administrative Court accepted his claim of a well-founded fear of persecution should he be forcibly returned to his home country as a result of his exposure of human rights violations by government officials. For further details of their work with refugees and migrants, visit the Areas of Practice page. Member of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and Southern Refugee Legal Aid Network (SRLAN).

Helping Hands Korea (HHK)

Helping Hands Korea (HHK) endeavors to support the most vulnerable sectors in North Korea (DPRK) society as well as those who have fled the DPRK and are living clandestinely as refugees living in China. In cases where North Korean refugees face imminent danger of forced repatriation, HHK facilitates the evacuation of refugees to safe third countries where their rights as refugees are respected. HHK provides food, clothing, medicines and nutritional supplements to those living at greatest risk within North Korea, including orphaned children, school children in impoverished areas, the handicapped, the elderly and single parents. HHK makes a special effort to lend practical assistance to those citizens whose right to religious freedom has been severely curtailed. The East Asia-based organisation also provides foster care and supplementary stipend aid for children in China who have become orphaned when their North Korean mothers, victims of human trafficking, experience life-threatening forcible repatriation from China to the DPRK.

Human Asia

Human Asia does not provide legal aid for refugees. However, we provide support for refugees in various ways such as through campaigns, research papers, international conferences, and reports on human rights issues, etc. We are able to refer asylum seekers and refugees in search of legal aid to NGOs equipped to handle such issues.

NANCEN also monitors the detention facilities for foreigners on a monthly basis; conducts a citizen education programme on refugees; publishes refugee-related books and reports; lobbies for financial support for improved refugee policy; and sponsors the annual awareness campaign, World Refugee Day, 20 June. NANCEN works with Dong-Cheon, a public interest division of Bae, Kim & Lee Law Firm, which does pro bono work for refugees, the Korean Bar Association, and the Seoul Bar Association. NANCEN is a member of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network.